The Workplace Operating System of the Future: Proxyclick Joins Condeco

In April 2024, the PropTech world witnessed a milestone acquisition. Proxyclick, the leading visitor management platform, was acquired by Condeco, a global provider of workspace scheduling solutions. The deal, orchestrated by Condeco‘s private equity owner Thoma Bravo, creates a powerhouse in the rapidly evolving world of workplace management technology.

At first glance, visitor check-ins and meeting room bookings may seem a world apart. But in the post-pandemic office, they are two sides of the same coin: essential tools for orchestrating the ebb and flow of people through physical space. By joining forces, Proxyclick and Condeco are positioned to create a unified workplace operating system that powers every interaction within the office, from the front desk to the conference room.

The Ascent of Proxyclick

Proxyclick‘s journey began in 2010, when founders Gregory Blondeau and Geoffrey Maréchal set out to modernize the archaic paper logbooks and clunky check-in processes that plagued corporate front desks. Their vision was to create a sleek, digital-first visitor management experience that would delight guests and empower facilities teams.

Built from the ground up as a cloud-native SaaS platform, Proxyclick‘s solution leveraged the ubiquity of iPads and mobile devices to create a touchless check-in flow. Visitors could sign in with a few taps, snap a photo, and print a badge wirelessly. On the backend, the platform integrated with access control systems and employee directories to ensure a secure and seamless entry process.

As the platform matured, Proxyclick layered on increasingly sophisticated capabilities. Facial recognition and AI-powered watchlist screening bolstered security at sensitive sites. Detailed dashboards and real-time analytics gave facilities managers an unprecedented view into visitor traffic and space utilization. And as COVID-19 upended traditional workflows, Proxyclick pivoted to offer contactless check-in, wellness screening, and contact tracing features.

Under the hood, Proxyclick‘s platform is a marvel of modern Linux-based infrastructure. The company relies heavily on open source components, from the Ubuntu servers that power its cloud to the Node.js and Python microservices that drive its application logic. Containerization via Docker and Kubernetes allows for elastic scaling across multiple public cloud providers, ensuring high availability and snappy performance for its global user base.

By 2023, Proxyclick had captured a commanding lead in the enterprise visitor management market. The company‘s solution was trusted by over 10,000 organizations worldwide, including 30% of the Fortune 500. Its client roster spanned industries from tech giants like Microsoft and Uber to manufacturing powerhouses like Siemens and Dow Chemical.

The PropTech Opportunity

Proxyclick‘s success is emblematic of a broader surge of investment and innovation in PropTech. Once a sleepy backwater of the tech ecosystem, the real estate sector has awakened to the transformative potential of software and data science. From digital twins to smart building sensors to AI leasing agents, technology is remaking every facet of how properties are built, managed, and experienced.

In the workplace sector, the COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated the adoption of digital tools. With office utilization plummeting and remote work becoming the norm, companies are scrambling to rightsize their real estate footprints and create more dynamic, flexible workspaces. PropTech solutions offer a data-driven approach to optimizing these spaces, allowing companies to track utilization, model scenarios, and adapt to changing needs in real-time.

According to research firm Gartner, the market for workplace experience apps and employee-facing tools will reach $4.9 billion by 2025, up from $1.2 billion in 2020. This explosive growth is driven by a recognition that the office is no longer just a container for work, but a critical tool for driving employee engagement, collaboration, and productivity.

The Power of Combination

Condeco, for its part, has long been a pioneer in workplace scheduling solutions. The company‘s platform enables employees to book desks, conference rooms, and collaboration spaces from their mobile devices or Outlook calendars. Powerful analytics give managers visibility into space utilization and occupancy trends, informing real estate decisions.

By acquiring Proxyclick, Condeco gains a complementary set of capabilities around visitor management and physical security. The combination creates a comprehensive workplace operating system that touches every person and every space within an office:

• Employees can book a desk or meeting room through Condeco, then seamlessly check into the building via Proxyclick‘s mobile app.
• Visitors are greeted by a branded iPad kiosk running Proxyclick‘s software, which notifies their host and prints a personalized badge.
• As people flow through the space, Proxyclick‘s sensors and access control integrations provide real-time occupancy data, feeding into Condeco‘s utilization dashboards.
• Powerful reporting and analytics tools give facilities managers a bird‘s-eye view of how the office is being used, down to the level of individual desks and rooms.

For enterprise customers, the value proposition is clear. A unified workplace management platform enables them to create a seamless, touchless experience for their employees and visitors, while generating rich data to inform space planning and resource allocation. The combination also creates opportunities for upsell and cross-sell, as Condeco can now offer Proxyclick‘s best-in-class visitor management capabilities to its installed base of over 2,000 enterprises.

Security and Scalability

Of course, with great power comes great responsibility. As workplace management platforms become more sophisticated, they also become stewards of vast troves of sensitive data, from employee whereabouts to confidential meeting details. Proxyclick and Condeco will need to be relentless in their commitment to data privacy and security, investing in robust access controls, encryption, and compliance measures.

Given the scale of its combined client base, the merged company will also need to continue innovating on its underlying infrastructure to ensure rock-solid reliability and performance. This is where Proxyclick‘s deep expertise in Linux, containerization, and cloud-native architecture will be invaluable.

By leveraging open source tools and elastic public cloud resources, the company has built a highly scalable and resilient platform that can handle millions of check-ins per month. Condeco will surely benefit from this technical DNA as it expands its own platform to serve the largest global enterprises.

The Road Ahead

As Proxyclick and Condeco embark on this new chapter together, the opportunities are vast. The COVID-19 pandemic has permanently altered the perception of the workplace, accelerating trends around remote work, flex spaces, and employee experience. Companies are hungry for tools to help them navigate this new landscape, and the combined entity is well-positioned to meet that demand.

Looking further ahead, the potential applications of AI and machine learning in the workplace are tantalizing. Imagine a building that can automatically adjust its temperature, lighting, and air flow based on real-time occupancy data. Or a desk booking system that learns employee preferences and makes intelligent recommendations. Or a meetings tool that transcribes and summarizes key action items from every discussion.

As the workplace becomes more digital and data-driven, the role of the office manager will also evolve. No longer just a logistical coordinator, this person will become a true experience curator, using tools like Proxyclick and Condeco to create an environment that enhances productivity, collaboration, and wellbeing. The post-pandemic office may be smaller and more flexible, but it will also be smarter and more intentional than ever before.

Conclusion

In the end, Proxyclick‘s acquisition by Condeco is a testament to the power of focus and execution. By zeroing in on a clear pain point – the chaos of the corporate front desk – and building a world-class solution, Proxyclick was able to carve out a lucrative niche and attract the attention of a major strategic buyer.

Its success also highlights the growing importance of PropTech and the massive opportunity to digitize the built environment. As software eats the world, even the most physical and analog of spaces are being transformed by data, automation, and connectivity. The workplace is no exception, and Proxyclick and Condeco are now at the forefront of this revolution.

For employees and visitors alike, the benefits of a smarter, more seamless office experience are clear. But the impact goes far beyond convenience. By creating a more responsive and adaptable workplace, companies can boost productivity, attract top talent, and make more efficient use of their real estate assets. In a world where every square foot counts, that‘s a powerful competitive advantage.

As Proxyclick and Condeco chart their course together, they face an exciting but challenging road ahead. Integrating two complex platforms is no small feat, and the combined company will need to work hard to deliver on the promise of a truly unified workplace operating system. But with a shared vision, a deep bench of talent, and a commitment to innovation, they are well-positioned to lead the PropTech industry into a new era of growth and transformation.

One thing is clear: the workplace of the future will look very different from the cubicle farms and corner offices of the past. It will be more flexible, more data-driven, and more attuned to the needs of the people who inhabit it. And with the help of companies like Proxyclick and Condeco, it will be here sooner than we think.